lurch. I hated his soothing tone almost as much as the menacing one.
Jase was a heartless bastard. A controlling, spiteful prick who got off on overpowering the weak, and he saw me as an easy target. He hadn’t always been the man I knew now though. He was once sweet, and on most days back then he made me feel as if I was the center of his world.
That all faded fast soon after we married.
He was the perfect example of someone who let power and money change who they were. He no longer cared about those he hurt along the way. He only cared about gaining more power, earning more money. It was an addiction to him.
An addiction he allowed to take over his life.
I was trapped in his world, and he reminded me of that often. But if I left him, I would not only lose everything, but my father would too.
His grip loosened, and the urge to run jolted throughout my mind. But I knew I wouldn’t. He held the fate of my father’s health in his hands, along with everything else my family had spent their entire lives building. Without Jase, my father couldn’t get the treatment for his heart disease that he desperately needed, and I couldn’t let that happen. I had to survive for my father—the man I loved the most and for who I would do anything.
“Well, Kinsley, you look gorgeous as always,” Bruce Hellman cooed. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, and his touch was almost as bad as his son’s. I hated the way he would watch me, with his tongue resting against his bottom lip as he scanned me from head to toe. It was revolting, and, worse, Jase didn’t seem to mind.
Jase and his father were powerful men, not only rich but well connected. Anyone in Miami would give them exactly what they needed without hesitation, whether or not what they wanted was legal. Hiding their wrongs was easy when even the law was on their side, and crossing them would be suicide.
“Thank you,” I replied as I stepped away and shifted nervously on my feet.
“Control yourself, darling.” Jase gripped my elbow and twisted it enough to hurt. “I won’t tell you again. I suggest you stop fidgeting. Eyes are on us, always. Don’t force my hand, Kinsley.”
I looked up and saw Bruce looking at his son proudly. As if the image of his son taking control of his daughter-in-law excited him. I wasn’t surprised that Bruce was single. After Jase’s mother died, he never remarried. He did, however, have plenty of women who were more than happy to give him what he needed in exchange for the finer things in life.
“We go over this every time we’re in public. By now you should know what I expect of you without needing to be reminded,” Jase whispered, but even in his soft voice, I heard the hate.
My hands began to shake as I remembered all the times before when he had hurt me, but one night in particular always hung heavy in my mind—the night my husband showed me the man he truly was. The night I went numb and decided obeying him was the only way I would survive the hell I had married in to while protecting and providing for my father, the only man who had ever truly loved me.
I COULD FEEL THE TENSION the moment we entered the limo after the party. I had done everything he ask me to. I’d smiled when necessary, had small talk with everyone who approached me, yet it wasn’t enough. I don’t know what made me think it would be. Nothing I did was never enough. I was his puppet, yet I always managed to do or say something that displeased him.
As the driver started the engine, I looked over at Jase and the look on his face gave me chills. He was obviously waiting until we were alone so he could recap my wrongdoings of the evening and punish me for embarrassing him, even though I had no idea how I’d done so.
I tried to hide my shaking hands by fisting them at my sides, feeling the silky material of my overpriced gown rub along my wrists. My heart raced, causing me to feel slightly lightheaded.
The ride continued in silence, and the closer we got to our home, the more my body shook. I tried to keep my breathing calm, but it was pointless. I felt like